Tributary Tomcat LV

Discontinued please check out Tributary SPUD Inflatable Kayak

The extra small AIRE Tributary Tomcat LV (“Low Volume”) inflatable kayak came out a couple years back. This new model comes in orange. It is 8’4″ long, 26.5 pounds, has 9″ tubes, and is a scant 28″ wide. A boat that’s rapids ready!

Tributary Tomcat LV Inflatable River Kayak
Tributary Tomcat LV Inflatable River Kayak

Tributary Tomcat LV Inflatable Kayak For Kids, Small Audlts

If you are tempted by the size, appearance, or price point to view the Tomcat LV as an option for your kids to use for real whitewater, you might want to pause for a moment. A 28″ beam inflatable with 9″ tubes and a fairly high center of gravity will spend a lot of time upside down in the wrong hands. Does Junior enjoy swimming rapid after rapid? Is his lifejacket on tight? Is he or she wearing the right clothing or wetsuit for the conditions? If your answer is yes to all three questions, you can consider the AIRE Tributary Tomcat LV for your kid(s). Otherwise go for something more in the three foot wide range like an NRS Bandit or Tributary Strike. Then again if you only plan to have your child paddle gentle streams or a lake, that will be fine, but there are also many recreational models in our Touring i.k. section that also work well for this type of water. In fairness, AIRE is not calling this a “kid’s boat” at all. In regard to whitewater, they are calling it a “play boat for smaller paddlers”. We would add the words “of advanced skill level” in there too. It seems like a very good use for this model might be on steep low volume creeks, rather than hydraulic-laden high flow rivers. And hardshell boaters should have little problem with the LV. Time will tell and everything is conjecture at this point, since we haven’t had the chance to paddle one yet.

Tomcat Setup

AIRE Tributary Tomcat LV Inflatable Kayak Price Cannot Be Beat

At this point, even if it is $180 more, the NRS Rascal seems to be a more user friendly mini-kayak than the Tomcat LV. We will add more text here when we or our paddling buddies have put some miles on an LV. This boat has a one-year warranty, and it uses vinyl tube bladders rather than the more expensive and more stretchable urethane ones found on most other AIRE & Tributary models. The Cheetah Chair is the same seat found in all other AIRE – Trib kayaks. The weight capacity is around 200 to 250 pounds.

Please note that any accessories purchased with your boat are 10% off, and also note that our shopping cart as yet does NOT reflect these discounts – it will show a higher total so we will adjust the bottom line before ringing the transaction through. You also get a  credit toward UPS included in the price, but again our cart won’t subtract that so we will decrease the total. Our shopping cart does NOT charge your card until we tell it to, and we can take lesser amounts than what was authorized.

Tributary Tomcat LV Specs

 

  • Item: AIRE Tributary Tomcat LV Inflatable Kayak
  • SKU: tomcatlv
  • Color: Yellow
  • Length: 8’4″
  • Width: 28″
  • Rolled up dimensions (no seat): 11×32″
  • Boat weight: 26.5 lbs.
  • Load capacity: 260 lbs.
  • Tube diameter: 8.75″
  • Air chambers: 3
  • PSI inflation: Floor=2 Tube=2.5
  • Waterline: 70″
  • Rocker (no load): 11.50″
  • Tube shell material: PVC 1000 denier
  • Tube bladder material: Vinyl unreinforced
  • Floor shell material: Bottom=1000 denier : Top=500 denier
  • Floor bladder material: 400 denier urethane coated nylon
  • Valves: Summit II
  • Features: 2 carry handles, Stitched seams, Cargo pack on seat
  • Inflatable thwart backrest: Optional substitute it for the standard Cheeth Chair add an extra charge
  • Shipping info: 35 lbs. 11x21x25″
  • Warranty: 1 year